Today’s post by Britnee Speice-Will
I’ve gone through many phases when it comes to my body image. I’ve struggled with being comfortable with my body, sometimes wishing it looked different. Many young women like me feel this way. Men, too. It can be hard to find confidence and self-love when most of the media portrays the “perfect” body.
Brands have the ability to help shift our perspective of ourselves. One brand that could contribute to this is Snapchat. I was on the app a few months ago, scrolling through the filters. As I was scrolling, I noticed a small “glitch” as I was swiping from filter to filter. A glitch that showed my realself, without the filter on it.
When I noticed the glitch, a common theme with the filters became apparent to me. Most Snapchat filters slimmed my face, made my nose smaller, enlarged my eyes and lips, and removed skin blemishes. Snapchat was normalizing a “perfect” look for users. For a moment, this left me feeling self-conscious and paying attention to my flaws.
According to the International OCD Foundation, there are about one in 50 people that have body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). People with BDD have repetitive and compulsive behaviors relating to their appearances, including constantly checking themselves in the mirror (NCBI). The term, “Snapchat Dysmorphia” was coined because people are losing perspective on what they actually look like after applying so many filters on social media (NCBI). The National Center for Biotechnology Information and WBUR state that many plastic surgeons have encountered patients that want to look like their filtered photos, enhanced versions of themselves that social media apps have helped them create.
Filters should be used as a fun social media tool (e.g., putting dog filters on your face, adding a flower crown), not making users feel self-conscious. Younger generations using Snapchat are still learning about themselves and are vulnerable. Snapchat should make the responsible decision to remove and ban filters that enhance one’s face in any unrealistic or “ideal” way.
Snapchat should join the body positivity movement, and empower young users to feel confident about their true selves.
Goldberg, C. (2019, January 25). In Selfie Era, Cosmetic Surgeons Confront ‘Snapchat Dysmorphia’. Retrieved November 16, 2020, from https://www.wbur.org/commonhealth/2019/01/25/selfie-filter-snapchat-dysmorphia
Phillips, K. (n.d.). Prevalence of BDD. Retrieved from https://bdd.iocdf.org/professionals/prevalence/
Ramphul, K., & Mejias, S. (2018, March 3). Is “Snapchat Dysmorphia” a Real Issue? Retrieved November 15, 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5933578/